Treatise on Response and Retribution (Tape 1)      Talk One:
12 May, 1999

Greetings everyone!  Recently, people have requested me to lecture again on the Treatise on Response and Retribution hoping to broadcast it on television.  This is a good deed.  But, it would take a long time to lecture on this subject.  In Singapore, I am currently lecturing on the Flower Adornment Sutra, the Infinite Life Sutra and the Earth Treasure Sutra.  Lecturing on these three sutras already takes a large amount of time.  I feel it would be too much to add another one.  Therefore, I decided to make use of the time already allocated for the Morning Talks for the Treatise.  I estimate that it will take two to three months to complete this series. 

This is a very important subject.  In the early part of the nineteenth century, Master Yin-Guang dedicated himself to advocating teaching on the Law of Cause and Effect.  When Master Yin-Guang was at Pu-tuo Mountain, the citizens of Ding-Hai County invited him to give Dharma talks there.  Due to his very heavy native accent, Master Yin-Guang sent another Dharma master in his place to give the lecture.  What sutra was lectured on?  The Guidance to Hidden Merits of Wen-Chang Di Jun.  It is surprising that the material chosen was a Taoist text rather than a Buddhist sutra.  Throughout Master Yin-Guang's life, he especially advocated Liao-Fan's Four Lessons and the Treatise on Response and Retribution.  Both during his lifetime and after, he was often criticized for doing so.  But these were only viewpoints of ordinary people.

In Buddhism, there is a saying, "Any teachings told by completely enlightened people are perfect and complete".  Another saying asks "Which teaching is not the Buddha's teaching?"  What do these two sayings mean?  To be honest, how do we differentiate between worldly teachings and the Buddha's teachings?  The differentiation is in our minds.  There really is no difference between worldly teachings or the Buddha's teachings.  If we have wandering and discriminatory thoughts and attachments, then all teachings become worldly teachings.  Even learning the Flower Adornment Sutra would be a worldly teaching.  Why?  Because we cannot transcend the six realms.  If we rid ourselves of wandering and discriminatory thoughts and attachments, then all teachings can help us end the cycle of birth and death and transcend the six realms.  This why every teaching is the Buddha's teaching.  We need to understand this truth. 

Yesterday, we visited the Archbishop of Singapore at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd.  A man asked me, "What is the difference between soul in Catholicism and Dharma-nature in Buddhism?"  I told him that those with souls still have discriminatory thoughts and attachments.  Those who have uncovered their Dharma-nature no longer have discriminatory thoughts and attachments.  He understood immediately.  Are they the same?  Yes, souls and Dharma-nature are one and the same.  But one has discriminatory thoughts and attachments and the other has severed these.  With discriminatory thoughts and attachments, there will be obstacles in everything.  Severing discriminatory thoughts and attachments, all teachings are interwoven perfectly. 

All sentient beings in the universe belong to one Dharma-nature, one Dharma body.  We are told in the Flower Adornment Sutra, that "All Buddhas throughout the universe in the past, present and future all share one Dharma body".  This sounds very familiar to many of us.  If we commonly share one Dharma body, then would every Dharma not be Buddha Dharma?  How can the Treatise on Response and Retribution be an exception?  It is also a Buddha's teaching. 

Every word and every passage in the Treatise on Response and Retribution and the Guidance to the Hidden Merits explains the Five Fundamental Precepts and the Ten Good Conducts.  The Five Precepts and the Ten Good Conducts are the foundation in Buddhism (and in almost every religion and faith system).  If we do not abide by them, then we are on a deviated path.  No matter which method we practice, whether we are a novice, an Arhat or a Bodhisattva, if we do not abide by these, then we are on a deviated path.  Then how can this be called Buddhism?

The Treatise on Response and Retribution and the Guidance to Hidden Merits are good reference materials, which provide a complete and practical explanation of the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Conducts.  Master Yin-Guang understood that in our time, this world would face major chaos and disasters.  There is only one way for us to avoid these disasters.  It is to help every sentient being become awakened, to refrain from wrongdoing and practice good deeds.  In this way, even if the disasters cannot be totally eliminated, their frequency and severity can be reduced.  This can be done. 

Practitioners from Taiwan have asked me if Taiwan can be exempted from these big disasters.  The answer is yes, without doubt.  However, the Taiwanese have accumulated an enormous amount of negative karma.  When did they begin committing their bad deeds?  No more than twenty years ago.  Before that, the Taiwanese were very law-abiding and courteous.  Thirty years ago, it could be said that the courtesy of the Taiwanese was the best in Southeast Asia.  The people were kind and friendly.  Hence, it is only in the past twenty years that the Taiwanese have committed bad deeds.  During this time, the general mood of society changed.  However, not that many people have committed bad deeds.  And they have not done so for long.  Fortunately, there are many kind-hearted people and those who recite "Amituofo".  Thus, even if disasters occur, they will not be too severe. 

On the other hand, the Japanese have been committing more bad deeds.  The consequences that they will have to endure and suffer in this big disaster will be more than ten times those of the Taiwanese.  In view of the principle of response and retribution (the Law of Cause and Effect), if we plant good seeds, we will obtain good results.  If we plant bad seeds, we will definitely obtain bad results.  This is the true principle of response and retribution.  Therefore, Master Yin-Guang did his utmost to advocate these books, which contain the true wisdom for saving the world from major disasters.  But what he had advocated for a lifetime was only truly understood by a few.  After the Master passed away, even fewer people advocated these books. 

In 1997, I received my first invitation to lecture in Hong Kong on the Surangama Sutra.  I stayed in Hong Kong for four months.  For the first two months, I stayed at the Master Tan-Xu's Chinese Buddhist Library in Kowloon.  The latter two months, I stayed at Master Dao-Zhi's way place, the Brightness Lecture Hall on Lang-Tang Road.  At the Chinese Buddhist Library, I discovered a large collection of books printed by Master Yin-Guang's Propagation of the Teachings Society.  I follow the teachings passed on from Master Yin-Guang.  My late teacher, Mr. Bing-Nan Lee, was a student of his.  Thus, I have a strong regard for Master Yin-Guang's teachings and the books he had advocated. 

I have read all the books printed by the Propagation of the Teachings Society.  I then realized that the Treatise on Response and Retribution, Complete Book of Mr. Chou and Liao-Fan's Four Lessons, have been the most widely circulated.  The Chinese Buddhist Library had also collected many volumes of their books.  I brought a copy of each one back with me to Taiwan.  When I saw the copyright page, it showed that each book had at least ten or fifty thousand copies printed.  There have been over ten editions of each book.  I was very surprised that over three million copies have been printed, when only one or two thousand copies of the other books were printed.  Why did he print so many copies of these three books?  This caught my attention. 

After careful consideration, I realized that Master Yin-Guang took great pains in trying to save our world from major disasters.  These three books are excellent.  Today, we see many books on ancient prophecies from the west in many bookstores around the world.  I have seen at least ten different versions.  They all predicted that 1999 will be Armageddon and that major disasters will probably continue for twenty-years.  They will result in the complete annihilation of the world.  This period will start around 1990 and end around 2010.  These books tell us that these disasters will occur as a result of the sins committed by human kind.  That these have so angered God that he will punish the world. 

However, they only speak of predestination and cannot be compared with Liao-Fan's Four Lessons and the Treatise on Response and Retribution.  These two books explain how to help save the world from disasters while the former ones only tell of impending annihilation but not how to avoid it.  There is another book called the Bible Code, which shows more understanding than the rest because it concludes that everything depends on our hearts.  If we are able to correct our wrongdoings and be kind-hearted, then we can eliminate these disasters. 

However, this is still too general.  There are no specifics on how we refrain from wrongdoing and practice good deeds.  But, even this is incomparable to the three books advocated by Master Yin-Guang, which provide us with clearer and more complete explanations on accomplishing this.  But, truthfully, we have realized this too late.  We lack good fortunes.  Why do I say that we have realized this too late?  Because we have yet to translate these books into foreign languages to be circulated worldwide.  We did not realize the importance of translating them into other languages.  To have done so would have benefited the whole world.  This is what we did not realize.  Now it is already too late to do much.  However, we still hope that everyone will do their best in the translation of these books into foreign languages for free worldwide distribution. 

People who have the opportunity to read these books will be fortunate.  It is our responsibility and mission to encourage everyone to read these book many times and practice their teachings daily.  Not only will this change our own karmic results but it will also stabilize society and help sentient beings escape sufferings and disasters. 

When I returned from Hong Kong, I recommended to the Taiwanese that they read these books.  This is a copy of the first edition of the Compilation of Response and Retribution that I printed.  Since then numerous editions have been printed.  I believe that at this time we have printed about one hundred thousand copies.  But, our abilities are limited.  Now in Taiwan I have advocated and circulated the Compilation of Response and Retribution, the Complete Book of Mr. Chou and Liao-Fan's Four Lessons.  I have also lectured often on these three books and cannot even remember how many times.  This copy is the same one that I have used for past lectures.  Hence, I have highlighted, underlined and annotated important points in it. 

A few days ago, fellow practitioners requested me to lecture on the Treatise on Response and Retribution.  For the sake of convenience, I am using my old copy, which will replace the need for current preparation for the lectures.  I hope everyone will take this matter seriously, end all erroneous ways and practice all good deeds.  Master Yin-Guang used these three books to help us make up for our deficiencies in abiding by the precepts. 

The ancient patriarchs of the Pure Land School, taught us to abide by the precepts and chant a Buddha's name.  If we just chant a Buddha's name without abiding by the precepts and practicing virtues, we cannot be born into the Western Pure Land.  As the ancient patriarchs said, "If we chant a Buddha's name with a scattered mind, even to the point of loosing our voice, it all would have been in vain".  Thus, it is most important that we harbor kind hearts, say kind words and do kind deeds. 

The Treatise on Response and Retribution arrives at this same conclusion.  It explains that if we have a kind heart, say kind words and do kind deeds, then virtuous spirits will protect us.  The Pure Land School teaches that reciting "Amituofo" ensures birth into the Western Pure Land.  Presently, there are many disasters occurring in our world.  But, there is no need for us to panic in the face of these disasters. 

Yesterday, we visited a home for the elderly.  We saw around twenty people who are at the final stage of terminal cancer.  I talked with the Catholic nuns about the need to give the elderly hope not sadness and about religious education.  There is no death for humans.  Birth and death are very common and is simply a changing of environment.  By helping the elderly change their thinking, they will view and accept death more easily and thus, more calmly.  This is a turning point.  We can improve our surrounding and live a happier life.  Therefore, religious education is very important. 

At their Home for the Hearing-Impaired, the nuns give individual care and guidance for the children who live there.  The elderly also receive individual attention.  How can we not do this?  Individual guidance is given to the elderly.  Constant kind words of comfort are equally important when educating children.  If we often talk to the elderly and explain the teachings to them, we can help them to escape from the sufferings of birth and death.  As for Buddhists, we can encourage them to seek birth into the Western Pure Land.  For Catholics and Christians, we can encourage them to be born into Heaven.  Heaven is far better than the human realm.  This is education.  Not only should we help them in their material needs, but also in their spiritual needs as well. 

The area of entertainment needs to be considered as well.  Yesterday, the nuns told me that young people often volunteer to come and sing for the residents.  But, they said that the residents disliked this entertainment.  We talked of how the elderly dislike modern music and did not want to listen to it.  We discussed how the elderly felt about it, how they enjoy the music from their youth.  How they are touched when they hear this music.  Most elderly do not like modern entertainment.  They like old movies and music.  We should provide them with entertainment that they are familiar with. 

We need to consider all of these points.  When chatting with them, we need to ask them their likes and try to fulfill their wishes and needs.  In doing so, we will be truly caring for the elderly and helping them to be happy and carefree.  Only then will we have fulfilled our responsibilities.  I talked to Mr. Bock-Guan Lee concerning this matter yesterday.  He said that he would do his best to find music and old movies and donate them to the Homes for the Aged.  There are numerous Chinese in the home.  These deeds will help us to refrain from wrongdoing and practice good deeds. 

Since there are many booklets on the Treatise on Response and Retribution, we shall use this one.  However, I have found that only one thousand copies were printed.  This is far too few.  This pocketsize is very good to read and is convenient to carry around.  We should often read it.  It also includes the "Guidance to Hidden Merits of Wen-Chang Di Jun", which makes it ideal.  Over the next two to three months, we will use the half-hour Morning Talk to study this booklet.  This is all for today.  Thank You!